Vehicle grills are known to direct airflow into the engine compartment of a vehicle when it is driven. This airflow may be employed to cool components within the engine compartment, including the engine or transmission. However, engine components may not always require the full amount of airflow available to the vehicle. For example, under some conditions, such as when the ambient air and engine are cold, it may be advantageous to reduce airflow into the engine compartment to allow the engine to warm more quickly and provide warm air sooner through the heating and air conditioning system. Closing the openings of the grill, such as through the use of moveable louvers, may also be advantageous, provided that adequate cooling airflow is provided to the engine compartment, to reduce aerodynamic drag and improve fuel economy.
Grills with moveable grill louvers are known and the louvers are generally operated by an electric motor that drives a gear set to effectuate rotational movement of the louvers to block or restrict airflow through the grill openings. The louvers are typically configured to rotate between a fully open position where unrestricted airflow can occur through the grill openings and a closed position where airflow is blocked. Moreover, moveable louvers have generally been disposed behind the vehicle grill to close off the openings from their backside and thus are not prominently visible. As such, they do not contribute to the aesthetics of the vehicle. These systems also require the use of significant space in the engine compartment for proper rotation and operation, which is a disadvantage for packaging requirements.
As these systems all suffer from a variety of disadvantages, it is desirable to provide a vehicle grill that improves over these systems in both function and aesthetics.